Distilling oil.



Patentgd Mar. 4, |902.

J. DUBBS. msTlLLmG ou:

(Application led Har. 18, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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' UNITED Strapless PATENT Carica.

JESSE A. DUBBS, OF PI'ITSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

DISTILLING 01|..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,622, dated March 4, 1.902.

Application filed March 13, 190714. Serial No?. 50,911. (No specimens.) I

yT0 all whom it may concern: l.

Be it known that l, J risse` A'. DKUBBs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new anduseful Improvements in Distilling Oil, of which improvements the follow-1 ing is a specification.

As stated in an application filed February 28, 1901, Serial No. 49,268, considerable difficulty is found in distilling certain oils-such, for example, as the petroleums found in California, Texas, and in foreign countries-in producing such a molecular change as will permit of the removal of sufficient hydrogen to render the distillate t for use as an'illuminant, &c. When the distillate contains an excess of hydrogen, the heat generated in the combustion of the distillate is not high enough' to render the carbon sufficiently incandescent to avoid the production of smoke and offen-l sive odors. I have found that if distillation be eected at a temperature above .that required for the vaporization'of oil and in the presence of oxygen su'cha lmolecular'change will be produced that the llame from the combustion of the distillate 4so produced will be smokeless and free from offensive odors.`

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed. y

In the accompanying drawings, forming av part of this specification, Figure lisa `sectional elevation of a still adapted to the practice of my invention, and Fig. 2 isa similar view of a construction applicable: to the-prac--' tice of a modification. Y

In the practice of my invention the oil is charged into a still 1 of any suitable form orV construction and provided. with a Vvalve '2, adapted to control the iiow of 'gasesfr'om' the still. The location ofthe valve, whether in the gooseneck S or elsewhere along the line of flow of the gases, &c., from the still, is immaterial. The oil is then heated by any suitable means known in the art-as, for example, byrmeans of the furnace 2. As soon as vaporization occurs,.air, preferably heated, is forced through the oil in such regulated quantities as specified in Letters Patent No. 646,639, granted to me April 3, 1900, in order to avoid the formation of an explosive mixture in the still. As is Well known, a liquid will remain at its Vaporizing temperature if the vapor is allowed to escape freely. In order that the oil and vvapor may be subjected to a temperature higher than that required kfor its vaporization, I provide for the maintenance of such a pressure within the still as will require a heat considerably in excess of that usually employed indistilling oil.` Such a temperature can'be obtained by maintaining a pressure of about five pounds orhigher above the pressure in the still under present conditionsrof practice. Thispressure and consequent temperature will vary with the character of the oil from different elds. As the temperature of vaporization increases as the lighter distillates are driven o it will be understood that in the lpractice of my invention the pressure in the still will be increased, so that at all times the oil and vapor will be subjected to a temperature higher than the vaporizin g temperature ofthe oil at any period of its distillation. The pressure in the still can be regulated by adjustingthe valve Z-while the pressure of air being forced into the still is maintained constant, or the air-'pressure may be increased Without changin'gqthe position of the valve 7, or both valve and pressure may be adjusted, as required. The air is introducedthrou gh a pipe 3 having perforations Within the still. The air may be heated previous tolitsbeingY discharged intotlestill by arranging the pipe 3 so that it will be subjected tothe heat 0f the furnace v2, or a coil may be formed in the still so that lthe' air will be heated by the oil previous to its discharge into the oil, as shown and described in the Letters Patent referred to.

In lieu of attaining the desired heat by effecting distillation under pressure the gases, &c;,` as they come from the still may be passed through a superheating-coil 9, in which the gases, tc., will be subjected to the heat necessary to effect the desired molecular change. When using the superheater, as shown in Fig.

2, distillation is effected, as described in the Letters Patent referred to-i. e.,the oil is heated to normal vaporizing temperatureaud air, either cold or heated, is forced through the oil after vaporization has begun. When using the superheater, either a Vvolume of air in excess of that required for the molecular change effected in the still may be forced intov the latter and pass with the Vapor into the superheater or an additional quantity of air, either cold or heated, may be forced into the vapor through the pipe 10 as the vapor enters the superheater.

I claim herein as my invention-` 1. As an improvement in the art of distilling oil, the method herein described, which consists in effecting vaporization of the oil by the combined action of heat and air forced through the oil, and in subjecting the vapor to a temperature higher than the vaporizing temperature of the oil, substantially as set forth.

2. As an improvement in the art of distilmy hand.

JESSE A. DUBBS. Witnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLooTT, F. E..GAITHER. 

